Tag stacking device



C. A. PARKER TAG STACKING DEVICE May 11, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1962 INVENIOR. CHARLES A. PARKER BY AGENT y 1965 "c. A. PARKER 3,182,821

TAG STACKING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CHARLES A. PARKER May 11, 1965 c. A. PARKER 3,182,321

TAG STACKING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. CHARLES A. PARKER AGE NT- y 11, 1965 c. A. PARKER 3,182,821

TAG STACKING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 8

x! N I9 2a FIG 9 @k as ls & INVENTOR.

H CHARLES A. PARKER B 3 34 2g AGENT United States Patent 3,182,821 TAG STACKING DEVICE Charles A. Parker, East Orange, N.J., assignor to Kimball Systems, Inc., a corporation of New York Filed June 5, 1962, Ser. No. 200,221 6 Claims. cl. 214-7 The present invention relates generally to a tag marking machine devised to print and perforate information upon small tags such as those used in the apparel industry for pricing garments and for keeping inventory records, etc. More particularly, the invention relates to improved devices for transferring successive tags as fed from a feeding passage and for stacking the successive tags within a storage magazine to be aligned in a row substantially parallel to the direction of the feed passage.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved tag stacking mechanism adapted for diverting successively fed tags from a horizontal feed movement to a vertical position for edgew-ise stacking of the tags.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for facilitating the successive stacking of tags on edge in a continuous row upon a support means therefor.

A further object of the invention is the provision of special means for rapidly deflecting an operated tag away from the return stroke movement of the reciprocatory tag stacking means.

Another object of the invention is to materially increase the speed by which tags fed out of a machine are deposited within a storage magazine so that over-all faster operation of the tag feed devices is attained.

Another object of the invention is the provision of special means for opening the tag stacking means whereby to release a tag coincident to the depositing thereof within a storage magazine.

A specific machine embodying the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and described in this specification, but it is to be clearly understood that some of the features shown and described may be'modified without departing from the invention, and that wherever the term tag is used, it is intended to include cards, tickets, sheets or any other suitable printable and perforable material.

Still further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a machine embodying the invention and showing the tag feed and stacking devices.

FIG. 2 is a left side elevation of the parts shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detail elevation of power cam means for operating said devices.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation cross section taken substantially on line 4--4 of FIG. 2, the parts being in their normal condition of rest.

FIG. 5 is a detail cross sectional elevation of the tag stacker devices, with the parts shown in their extreme clockwise position incident to the first part of an operation thereof.

FIG. 6 is :a similar view, with the parts now in a partially operated condition occurring during a counterclockwise movement thereof.

FIG. 7 is a similar view with the parts now moved to a further position of counterclockwise operation.

FIG. 8 is a similar view with the parts in their extreme counterclockwise position of movement, and

FIG. 9 is a detail plan view showing the parts'in their relative positions as for FIG. 7.

The present invention is shown as applied to a tag printing and perforating machine such as that shown and described in U.S. Patent Re. No. 24,547 issued October 7, 1958 to Karl J. Braun, from an original Patent No. 2,708,- 873 dated May 24, 1955, reference being had to said Reissue Patent No. 24,547 for details of structure and operation not herein set forth.

It is sufiicient to say that in general for machines of the character to which the present invention is applied the tags are caused to be entered into the machine either as individual tags or in a continuous or web form and are thereafter fed past well-known printing and perforating means along the tag passage for the recording of selective data thereon. However, where the tags are entered in strip or web form they are usually caused to be severed by suitable cutting means prior to their exit from the machine proper.

As shown in FIG. 1 the individual tags 1 each have their forward corners and the near trailing corner cut oif. By cutting off the corners in this fashion spaced notches are formed to enable the tags to be intermittently and successively fed through the machine by means of a pair of clawlike feeding bars 2 and 3 having spaced teeth 4 and 5 respectively for engaging said notches. The tag feeding bars 2 and 3 are moved toward and from each other fore and aft of the machine and reciprocated in unison transversely of the machine upon operation'of a cyclic power shaft 6 (FIG. 3) when feeding tags through the machine as in the well-known manner fully set forth in the above reference patent.

Secured to the cyclic power shaft 6 is a cam member 7 having engagement with a roller 8 on an arm 9, secured to a shaft 10 and biased by spring means 11 in clockwise direction. Fast also upon shaft 10 is a downwardly eX- tending crank arm 12 (FIGS. 2 and 4) having a universal type link connection 13 with the lower arm 14 of a rock lever 15, forming part of a tag gripper mean pivotally mounted at 16 to the base framing 17 of the machine. The upper end of rock lever 15 is provided with a finger 18 forming the lower jaw of the tag gripper means. The upper jaw 19 of said gripper means includes a rocker plate 20 pivotally supported upon a stud 21 fast upon the said rock lever 15. A suitable coiled spring 22 (FIG. 5) mounted upon stud 21 serves to bias rocker plate 20 in a clockwise direction, whereby the upper jaw 19 at normal position of the tag gripper devices is held in engagement with the lower jaw 18 thereof, as shown in FIG. 4.

Is is recalled that during cyclic operations of the ma chine a cam 7 (FIG. 3) imparts rocking movement by means of roller 8 and arm 9 to the shaft 10 and so, by means of arm 12, will cause a reciprocation of the link 13. Cam 7 is designed so that during a first portion of its operation roller 8 is released to permit of a partial movement of arm 9 and the shaft 11 in a clockwise direction, under influence of spring member 11. Thus link 13 is first moved downwardly and will cause a clockwise operation of the tag gripper means 15 from the position illustrated in FIG. 4 to the position as shown in FIG. 5. During such operation rocker plate 20 is carried upwardly with said gripper means and near the extreme end of said movement a downwardly extending tail 23 associated with clutch jaw 19 will engage a projection 17' of base frame 17 and will cause said plate to be rocked in a counterclockwise direction to separate the upper jaw 19 from the lower jaw 18 of the tag gripper means, as illustrated in FIG. 5. Meanwhile the tag feeding means earlier described will have advanced a tag ready to be received between the open jaws 18-19 as shown in FIG. 5. Thereafter as cam member 7 (FIG. 3) continues in its eccentric rotation around the center 6 the higher peripheral diameter of said cam will act to depress roller 8 and imparts thereby a counterclockwise operation to the lever 9 and so also to the shaft 10 and arm 12. Upon counterclockwise opsneaeer eration arm 12 moves 13 upwardly and will now impart a counterclockwise operation to the tag gripper means 1 and carrying plate downwardly therewith.

Upon initial downward movement of the plate 20, tail 23 is carried away from projection 17 permitting spring 22 to impart a slight clockwise operation to said plate. Thus jaw 19 is immediately closed to grip the tag 1 with jaw 18 of the gripper means 15. As the said gripper means continues in counterclockwise operation tag 1 is carried thereby from the tag exit throat 24 and is stacked in an edgewise manner upon the support tracks 25, comprising a suitable magazine storage means for the tags.

Plate 20 is provided with a rightwardly extending arm 26 having a cam surface 27 cooperable with a bracket 28, fast to the base frame 17. Near the end of the abovedescribed counterclockwise operation of tag gripper means 15 the cam surface 27 of arm 26 is brought into engagement with bracket 28, the parts being now in the position illustrated in FIG. 7. Upon continued movement of the parts to their extreme counterclockwise position, shown in FIG. 8, the cam surface 27 moves over bracket 28 and will cause a counterclockwise operation to be effected to plate 2%, thereby opening the clutch jaws 1849 for releasing the tag substantially coincident with an engagement of said tag with the support tracks and thereafter said clutch jaws continue downward free or" the tags.

The high point of the operating cam 7 (FIG. 3) now continues past roller 8 and the arm 9, shaft 10 and arm 12 are all free for clockwise operation, through spring 11, for restoring link 13 downwardly. Downward movement of link 13 restores gripper means 15 with plate 2G in a clockwise operation, and during which cam 27 moves free of bracket 28 releasing clutch jaws 18-19 as the parts now restore to their normal condition of rest illustrated in FIG. 4.

During the described operations special means act in cooperation with the tag movement by the gripper devices, whereby to advance any previously stacked cards along the storage tracks 25 in the following manner.

With reference to FIG. 9, there is fast to the top surface of base plate 17, by means of suitable screw studs 29, a pair of U-shaped brackets 30 spaced laterally one to each side of the tag gripper means 15. Mounted for rotation with-in each of said brackets is a short shaft 31 having each fast thereon for rotation therewith a roller 32. Rollers 32 are spaced not only laterally from the tag gripper means 15 but also are positioned so that the peripheral diameter of said rollers extends forwardly of the are as transcribed by any tag when being carried by the gripper means. Thus when carried downwardly to the position as illustrated in FIG. 7 a tag effecting engagement with the rollers 32 is caused to be bowed around the gripper means 15 in the direction of the stack pile, as shown in FIG. 9. It will be apparent therefore that as a tag is carried around the rollers 32 to their vertical position considerable force is caused to be applied thereto for such bowing operation and the bowed tag engaging the preceding tag will act to advance the stack pile of tags along the support rails 25. Upon release of the tag near the bottom of the feed stroke for the gripper means 15 it is necessary that the bowed tag be restored to its linear condition in time to be free of the return stroke movement of said gripper means. To facilitate such restoral of a tag to its linear condition and so permit higher speeds of operations to be effected for the tag feed devices, the following special means are provided.

Pivotally mounted upon each of the short shafts 31 for rollers 32 is a bell crank lever 33, said levers being spaced one to each side of the gripper means 15. During the downward movement of a tag in an operation of said gripper means the lower edge of the tag engages the forward arms 33' of the bell crank levers 33 and rocks said levers in a counterclockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 6 to that illustrated in FIG. 7. Connected to the lower arm of each bell crank 33 is a lightly ten- 4k. sioned spring 34, the opposite end of each said spring being connected at 35 to the respective support bracket 30. Thus during the above set forth counterclockwise operation of bell cranks 33 their respective springs 34 will be further tensioned for exerting an increased clockwise bias upon bell cranks 33. Thus when a tag is released from the gripper jaws 1849 near the end of the downward movement of the gripper means 15, bell cranks 33 immediately urge the bowed tags rapidly to linear condition forward out of the path of movement of the upward return stroke of said gripper means so that said means will restore freely without inadvertently catching the bottom edge and ejecting a stored tag.

Having now described a preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described having intermittent feed means for ejecting Sheets in successive single order manner; the combination therewith of sheet stacking devices comprising a sheet displacing means including a member pivoted for reciprocable operations and comprising a first clutch jaw,

a member pivot-ally supported upon the first said member and including an opposed jaw for cooperation with said first clutch jaw,

means biasing said clutch jaws to closed condition for holding a sheet therein,

means for imparting reciprocatory operations to said first pivoted member, whereby a sheet is carried by said clutch jaws in an a-rcuate path from a given plane and deposited in a plane perpendicular thereto for forming a stack pile substantially parallel to said first plane;

means for advancing said stock pile away from said clutch jaws as a sheet is added thereto, said means comprising a pair of rollers spaced laterally one to each side of the clutch jaws, and

wherein the peripheral diameter of said rollers project beyond the arcuate path of said clutch jaws, and

wherein during said displacement a sheet engages said rollers to bow the sheet ends forwardly of the clutch jaws and to pressure the stack pile away from said clutch jaws.

2. The invention according to claim 1 and including means on the second said member for automatically opening the clutch jaws substantially as the sheet is brought into stack pile condition,

and whereafter the clutch jaws continue in a movement free of the sheet.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 and including means conditioned by a sheet in the said displacement thereof and operable upon subsequent release of the clutch jaws from the sheet to restore the sheet from the said bowed condition to its linear condition,

and whereby the sheet is thereby caused to be moved free of a subsequent return stroke movement of the sheet displacing means.

4. In an apparatus of the class described having feed devices for ejecting sheets in successive single order man her; the combination therewith of a sheet receiving magazine,

sheet conveying means including elements for seizing a sheet fed from said feed devices, and for depositing said sheet within the said magazine in an edge-- Wise manner to form a stack pile,

means for advancing the stack pile as each sheet is add ed thereto; including a pair of rollers spaced laterally one to each side of the sheet seizing elements and with the peripheral diameter thereof extending into the path of move-- meat of the sheet as carried by the said seizing elements,

and wherein during a depositing operation the sheet engaging said rollers is caused to be bowed around the seizing elements and will push the stack pile ahead.

5. In a sheet stacking machine the combination comprising,

feed devices for ejecting sheets in successive single order manner,

a sheet receiving magazine,

lconveying means for depositing in an ed'geWi-se manner to form a stack pile within said magazine sheets as successively fed from said feed devices,

means for bowing a sheet about said conveying means during a depositing operation,

and means energized during operation of the convey.-

ing means for subsequently restoring the sheet to a linear condition following a release thereof from the said conveying means.

6. In a sheet stacking machine the combination coma sheet conveying means including a pair of clutch jaws r-ockab-le about a pivot center in common,

said jaws adapted for carrying in an arcuate path a sheet from its fiat side condition to an edgewise condition for stacking,

a pair of camming rollers supported on independent shafts one to each side laterally of said clutch jaws,

said rollers extending forwardly of the are transcribed by said clutch jaws in moving a sheet to said edgewis'e condition, and in which said rollers act to force a sheet into a bowed condition about said clutch aws,

a yieldable spring means mounted upon each or" said support shafits and engageable by a sheet carried by said clutch jaws during the stacking operation to thereby impart rotative movement to said yieldable means for energizing its spring, and

wherein upon release of a sheet from said clutch jaws said spring means serves to immediately restore the sheet from bowed to linear condition whereby the sheet is clear of any subsequent operation of said :clu-t-ch jaws.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,204,188 11/16 Pye. 2,154,757 4/39 Labombarde 214-7 X 2,708,873 5/55 Braun 101-19 3,064,969 11/62 Stange 271-71 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,468 9/ 25 Netherlands.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

ERNEST A. FALLER, Jn., Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED HAVING INTERMITTENT FEED MEANS FOR EJECTING SHEETS IN SUCCESSIVE SINGLE ORDER MANNER; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF SHEET STACKING DEVICES COMPRISING A SHEET DISPLACING MEANS INCLUDING A MEMBER PIVOTED FOR RECIPROCABLE OPERATIONS AND COMPRISING A FIRST CLUTCH JAW, A MEMBER PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED UPON THE FIRST SAID MEMBER AND INCLUDING AN OPPOSED JAW FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID FIRST CLUTCH JAW, MEANS BIASING SAID CLUTCH JAWS TO CLOSED CONDITION FOR HOLDING A SHEET THEREIN, MEANS FOR IMPARTING RECIPROCATORY OPERATIONS TO SAID FIRST PIVOTED MEMBER, WHEREBY A SHEET IS CARRIED BY SAID CLUTCH JAWS IN AN ARCUATE PATH FROM A GIVEN PLANE AND DEPOSITED IN A PLANE PERPENDICULAR THERETO FOR FORMING A STACK SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST PLANE; MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID STOCK PILE AWAY FROM SAID CLUTCH JAWS AS A SHEET IS ADDED THERETO, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF ROLLERS SPACED LATERALLY ONE TO EACH SIDE OF THE CLUTCH JAWS, AND WHEREIN THE PERIPHERAL DIAMETER OF SAID ROLLERS PROJECT BEYOND THE ARCUATE PATH OF SAID CLUTCH JAWS, AND WHEREIN DURING SAID DISPLACEMENT A SHEET ENGAGES SAID ROLLERS TO BOW THE SHEET ENDS FORWARDLY OF THE CLUTCH JAWS AND TO PRESSURE THE STACK PILE AWAY FROM SAID CLUTCH JAWS. 